People have asked several times what it's currently like to live in Milan, and there are several answers I can give. Instead of answering them like a normal person (i.e. when people ask), I've been ignoring most of you for three solid months and will now unleash a brief and incomplete list of things that "define" what it's like to currently live in Milan.
1) Remember that scene in Beverly Hills Cop when Axel starts laughing at the two guys who walk past in their Michael Jackson jackets? It's like that. People all hear that Milan is a bigtime fashion city, and in a lot of cases it really doesn't matter. But nearly every day I will see someone who looks so ridiculous that I stifle laughter. There are lots of outfits that scream "prostitute" in America that apparently scream "I fit in" in Milan. It takes some getting used to.
Also, saggy-butt parachute-style pants are honestly a thing over here. Young males wear them and don't seem to think it's funny. They also have terrible hairstyles. The majority of young males have hair that seems to have been inspired by this guy. Meanwhile, Italian women are all extremely well put-together. They're not necessarily all attractive or anything like that, but they look like they made the effort to look nice every day, which is charming in an "I feel bad for you thinking that you have to do that" sort of way. They especially should not have to put in any effort because their options in men are limited to entitled arrogant pricks...although that's solely based on the eye test.
2) People in Milan are very strange to me. As a whole they are terrible at acknowledging other people's existence. You can be pulling suitcases down the sidewalk and people will see you coming, then proceed to stand in the middle of the sidewalk. There's a limited sense of "other" and an enormous sense of self. It's infuriating. I could go on for days about this. And yet, virtually everyone who I meet individually is exceedingly nice, generous, and friendly. These are people who give gifts for no reason, rearrange plans for you, and invite you to go places at a moment's notice.
3) I can see the Alps from my bedroom window.
Technically it's the Italian pre-Alps, but I can see the top of a snow-covered mountain in the distance from the room where I wake up. On clear days, at least.
4) It's really easy to travel from Milan. That was kind of the top reason we chose this place, and it's worked tremendously. For those keeping track, we've stayed in Milan for one full weekend out of the 14 we've been here. Not bad.
5) It's very pretty on winter nights. Europe does Christmas pretty well, it seems. They hang lights above all the streets and do Christmas markets and people just stroll around and enjoy things. It's adorable.
6) Lots of dog pee/poop in really nice neighborhoods.
7) The food. Everyone asks about the food. It's not as interesting as you'd think. Most restaurants are not quite restaurants - they serve sandwiches with one or two slices of meat, some cheese, and that's it. Proper restaurants are expensive and serve pasta dishes that you can make for less than a euro for yourself. So that's what eating over here is like: Pasta dishes with various sauces, some occasional turkey or chicken-based meat-things, and too much bread. Unless you want to pay a buttload.
8) There are a lot of churches?
I'm running out of ideas here. What other questions does everyone have?
1) Remember that scene in Beverly Hills Cop when Axel starts laughing at the two guys who walk past in their Michael Jackson jackets? It's like that. People all hear that Milan is a bigtime fashion city, and in a lot of cases it really doesn't matter. But nearly every day I will see someone who looks so ridiculous that I stifle laughter. There are lots of outfits that scream "prostitute" in America that apparently scream "I fit in" in Milan. It takes some getting used to.
Also, saggy-butt parachute-style pants are honestly a thing over here. Young males wear them and don't seem to think it's funny. They also have terrible hairstyles. The majority of young males have hair that seems to have been inspired by this guy. Meanwhile, Italian women are all extremely well put-together. They're not necessarily all attractive or anything like that, but they look like they made the effort to look nice every day, which is charming in an "I feel bad for you thinking that you have to do that" sort of way. They especially should not have to put in any effort because their options in men are limited to entitled arrogant pricks...although that's solely based on the eye test.
2) People in Milan are very strange to me. As a whole they are terrible at acknowledging other people's existence. You can be pulling suitcases down the sidewalk and people will see you coming, then proceed to stand in the middle of the sidewalk. There's a limited sense of "other" and an enormous sense of self. It's infuriating. I could go on for days about this. And yet, virtually everyone who I meet individually is exceedingly nice, generous, and friendly. These are people who give gifts for no reason, rearrange plans for you, and invite you to go places at a moment's notice.
3) I can see the Alps from my bedroom window.
Technically it's the Italian pre-Alps, but I can see the top of a snow-covered mountain in the distance from the room where I wake up. On clear days, at least.
4) It's really easy to travel from Milan. That was kind of the top reason we chose this place, and it's worked tremendously. For those keeping track, we've stayed in Milan for one full weekend out of the 14 we've been here. Not bad.
5) It's very pretty on winter nights. Europe does Christmas pretty well, it seems. They hang lights above all the streets and do Christmas markets and people just stroll around and enjoy things. It's adorable.
6) Lots of dog pee/poop in really nice neighborhoods.
7) The food. Everyone asks about the food. It's not as interesting as you'd think. Most restaurants are not quite restaurants - they serve sandwiches with one or two slices of meat, some cheese, and that's it. Proper restaurants are expensive and serve pasta dishes that you can make for less than a euro for yourself. So that's what eating over here is like: Pasta dishes with various sauces, some occasional turkey or chicken-based meat-things, and too much bread. Unless you want to pay a buttload.
8) There are a lot of churches?
I'm running out of ideas here. What other questions does everyone have?
My favorite part about this post is the watermark on the hair picture.
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